R.I.P. Slab Slayer surfacing bit

[Brad Schmid]

Where is the slab slayer sourced from? Do they have engineers on staff or outsource that too? I have little confidence on a company that centers its marketing on social media. I actually refuse to look at social media ads and not exactly a company that markets to professional shops where bits really get tested. You get what you pay for from China. Ask for dirt cheap and you get that, ask for high quality certified and you get that.

The Slab Slayer they confirmed with me is sourced from a US manufacturer.
I don't speak for them nor am I interested in defending their choices of marketing.
By the way, you make an assumption that they do not "markets to professional shops where bits really get tested".
I would have to say that is False. I learned of this brand/bit from a professional shop that confirmed use of both Amana and R.I.P. bits and is what prompted me to go do my own homework, thus the reason for my original question.

I forgot to add, they have been in business for roughly 3 years.

[Michael Burnside]

Could you please link to those companies that sell high quality 1 1/2bits with 1/4" shanks. If you read my first post I reject the 1/4" shaft due to the small amount of contact area in the collet, not the steel.

Amana RC-2265. I have specifically used this NUMEROUS times surfacing MDF projects before I got my larger and more capable flycutters. Used properly, this bit will be fine. If you want to go milling dense hardwoods, it's the wrong tooling.

Besides that bit, for which I have direct experience, the R.I.P bit you questioned seems of reasonable quality as well. I cannot speak to it directly however.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting 1/4" shanks are equivalent to 1/2 or 3/4, but I am saying if used properly with chipload, material and DOC properly accounted for, they can work just fine.

[Glyn Kinkaid]

Where is the slab slayer sourced from? Do they have engineers on staff or outsource that too? I have little confidence on a company that centers its marketing on social media. I actually refuse to look at social media ads and not exactly a company that markets to professional shops where bits really get tested. You get what you pay for from China. Ask for dirt cheap and you get that, ask for high quality certified and you get that.

We contract with a manufacturer in Houston Tx for the slab slayer line.
We design all of our tools that are non-standard or custom.
We started with a handfull of custom tools we had made because I could not find standard tooling with the specs I needed. We now make and sell about 60 different tools.

And we don't "market" anywhere. What was meant is most of our presence is on social media, mainly instagram and we do have a FB page where we share news, updates and media of our products.
We do not run ads other that one or two sales a year, usually black friday, ect.
We are relativly small and everything goes back into the company in the form or more tools and more stock. The company builds its self, we are debt free.

That said, I can be reach any time at the number on our website. Or send me a message and I will give you my direct line. I am happy to help any way I can and can answer any questions you may have.

I do understand your thinking though. We dont do China either!
We are affordable for 3 reasons.
1> We spend a great deal of time finding manufacturers that can meet our quality standards and our target cost.
2> We dont have our own manufacturing capabilities, therfore we have very little overhead.
3> We don't overcharge for products just because that is what company B sells it for. We have a formula to determine price and we stick to it.
Unlike some of the big tool companies on the woodworking side that overcharge its customers just because they can.

[Glyn Kinkaid]

I have a 2.25" Amana surfacer. It does save a lot of time when flattening the spoilboard, but it can bog down the PC 7518 router on my Stinger with a heavy cut. You may be just as happy with a deeper cut on the 1.25" bit using the DeWalt. I wonder though if the Slab Slayer is a more efficient design requiring less power.

It is definitely alot more efficient!
My name is Glyn and I own R.I.P Precision Tools and designed these tools. The rake angle and goemetry of the body and insert pocket, along with the rake and geometry of the insert are very efficient and as a result leave behind a very smooth finish.

When we tested this version, one of the last test we did was use the load meter on the VFD to see just how much less HP was required compared to our old 2" typical 90° square blade type tool we made previously.
What we found was, given identical material, depth of cut and cut width with both the 2" and the new 2.5" tools? The larger diameter 2.5" ran at 10% less load than the smaller 2" tool.
This is in large part due to the 45° orientation of the insert as well.
There is a huge reduction in friction, heat and noise with the 45° design.
Typical 90° square blade tools have almost 2 inches of carbide blade scraping across the material constantly. It is a HP stealer on smaller HP routers that have no HP to spare!

There is also a bonus that I did not intentionally design. If you have run the 90° style tools of any size on a CNC or any machine with dusct collection? You may have noticed the dust boot gets clogged up alot and a fair amount gets blown outward.

This tool has one of the most impressive vortex effects I have ever seen. All that positive rake angle act as fan creating a strong upward flow.
The latest version we rounded parts of the wing and gave the clearance area a cupped or curved surface to increase the effect.
You can move the router over a pile of chips with not dust boot on and it will still suck up the pile rather than scatter it.

[Brad Schmid]

It is definitely alot more efficient!
My name is Glyn and I own R.I.P Precision Tools and designed these tools. The rake angle and goemetry of the body and insert pocket, along with the rake and geometry of the insert are very efficient and as a result leave behind a very smooth finish.

When we tested this version, one of the last test we did was use the load meter on the VFD to see just how much less HP was required compared to our old 2" typical 90° square blade type tool we made previously.
What we found was, given identical material, depth of cut and cut width with both the 2" and the new 2.5" tools? The larger diameter 2.5" ran at 10% less load than the smaller 2" tool.
This is in large part due to the 45° orientation of the insert as well.
There is a huge reduction in friction, heat and noise with the 45° design.
Typical 90° square blade tools have almost 2 inches of carbide blade scraping across the material constantly. It is a HP stealer on smaller HP routers that have no HP to spare!

There is also a bonus that I did not intentionally design. If you have run the 90° style tools of any size on a CNC or any machine with dusct collection? You may have noticed the dust boot gets clogged up alot and a fair amount gets blown outward.

This tool has one of the most impressive vortex effects I have ever seen. All that positive rake angle act as fan creating a strong upward flow.
The latest version we rounded parts of the wing and gave the clearance area a cupped or curved surface to increase the effect.
You can move the router over a pile of chips with not dust boot on and it will still suck up the pile rather than scatter it.

Thank you Glyn for coming on here and telling a little of your story. I for one am happy to learn of you and am looking forward to trying your bits!

[Michael Burnside]

Thanks Glyn, very interesting. I may have to pickup the 3.75 version!

[Glyn Kinkaid]

Thanks Glyn, very interesting. I may have to pickup the 3.75 version!

The 3.75" is a beast of a tool. The body is a bit thicker percentage wise than the 2.5" version. But the flute and pocket geometries are identical.
For reference, the 2.5" wieght is 8 oz and the 3.75" wieght is 23 oz.

Both the 2.5" and 3.75" can plunge .437" and that is also the max pass depth.
The 1.375" version can technically do the same but realistically, the spindles and router running that tool need to be in the sub 1/8" range.
The 1.375" version also ships with warning labels and instructions on not extending the tool further than .25" incase anyone is curious.
I read the comments about the 1/4" shank and all are valid points.
However, that tool is perfectly safe when operated according to manufacture specifications, including tool extension.

[George Yetka]

I have the whiteside I bought full price($80) but I often see it on sale at woodcraft for around $50. It works very well for me

[eugene thomas]

I got the 2.5" bit few days ago. worked good on spoilboard surfacing.

[Brad Schmid]

I got the 2.5" bit few days ago. worked good on spoilboard surfacing.

I received mine too but I won't have a chance to use it for a while, i need to finish up some other things first. It looks very well made, I was quite impressed.

[Richard Coers]

Had this low cost alternative bit show up on my Facebook page. Could be a good alternative to the slab slayer at less than half the price. https://spetools.com/collections/spe...41797096407223

[Robert Hayward]

Had this low cost alternative bit show up on my Facebook page.

The linked bit appears to be just another four insert spoil board bit. The Slab Slayer bit has the inserts set in a diamond shape. Plus the Slab Slayer inserts are ground in a cup shape much like the carbide cutters that the Hunter lathe turning tools use.

Not sure which one does the better job, maybe neither. I have a bit similar to the one you linked to and also have a Slab Slayer. Neither if which has been used yet. I have two projects waiting for me to muster enough ambition to start on that I will use one or maybe both of the bits on.

[Richard Coers]

The linked bit appears to be just another four insert spoil board bit. The Slab Slayer bit has the inserts set in a diamond shape. Plus the Slab Slayer inserts are ground in a cup shape much like the carbide cutters that the Hunter lathe turning tools use.

Not sure which one does the better job, maybe neither. I have a bit similar to the one you linked to and also have a Slab Slayer. Neither if which has been used yet. I have two projects waiting for me to muster enough ambition to start on that I will use one or maybe both of the bits on.

I just posted it as an economy option. No agenda.